Stroke Rehabilitation Success Stories

Remarkable Improvements After a Massive Stroke

“My husband had a massive brain stem stroke, which left him paralyzed on his right side and affected his speech, swallowing, and vision. Within a year of physical, occupational, and speech therapy he made progress and gained some use of right side. Then he had a lighter stroke. We weren’t sure he’d even live, and if he did, we were afraid he’d end up in a nursing home. He has taken your newsletter for years and he wanted to come to your clinic, so we did. We were amazed at how much help he received, especially from hyperbaric oxygen! Our experience there was wonderful and we’ve relived it many times through photo and memories. Stan continues to do exercises two hours daily at home and continues to progress!

— Barbara S., Rushville, Illinois*

Stroke Recovery: “Keep on Truckin!’”

“After a massive stroke, I was in intensive care for six days. I was completely paralyzed on my right side and had trouble with my speech and memory. I couldn’t say what town I lived in, and when they asked me to name a green vegetable, I didn’t have a clue.

“Several weeks of rehab got me to the point where I was able to walk out of the place with the help of a cane, and by the time I finished speech therapy, I could carry on a conversation again. My brain still wasn’t working perfectly, and an MRI showed an area with lots of destroyed brain cells.

“I figured the only way I was going to get better was to take matters into my own hands, so I went to the Whitaker Wellness Institute where I was treated with hyperbaric oxygen, neurofeedback, acupuncture, and other therapies.

“I am now at the point where I can basically do everything I want to do. I hike, garden, do dishes, iron, and travel a lot. The only thing I would like to do but cannot is drive a car. But if I can’t, I can’t. My memory is still not completely there, but with neurofeedback I have made a lot of progress.

“I attribute my overall improvement to Whitaker Wellness. I cannot say what therapy has been most instrumental—they have all helped. After my stroke I was put on so many medications that I should have bought stock in the pharmacy industry. Now, thanks to the wonderful doctors, staff, and therapies at the clinic, I am only taking a medication to keep my blood pressure under control. I feel good, and I keep on truckin’!”

— Elfie B., California*

It’s Great to Be Able to Walk on My Own Again!

“I went in for an angiogram because I more or less failed a treadmill test. I just could not do it at all. I was huffing and puffing, and they had to stop it. They decided to do an angiogram and while I was watching it on the screen, they knocked off a piece of plaque that caused a stroke. It was not what I would call a normal stroke caused by your own body.

“They put me in intensive care for several days, and then put me down in another room. I had to be helped to go to the bathroom, because I just couldn’t walk. My legs were mush. They were like wet noodles.

“I had double vision, really double vision. While looking at the TV, I saw two superimposed on each other. I was laying there for 2 or 3 days and I said “Why don’t you send me up to therapy?” But no, they could not do that.

“So my kids came and said, ‘Do you want to go out of here and have hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Whitaker Wellness?’ I said, ‘I want to go!’ It was like, rescue me! Well, the doctor came in, and tried to tell me that there was nothing proven about hyperbaric. But my family signed me out against the hospital’s wishes.

“At your clinic, I had hyperbaric, chelation, and EECP. From literally having to be helped to walk, I graduated to a walker, and I could do that on my own, but it was tedious. And then, after a few sessions of hyperbaric, I was carrying the walker because it was a nuisance. It just went from there to better all the way. I still have a little bit of double vision in my left eye, but generally I’m really much, much, much better.

“Thank you, Dr. Whitaker! It’s great to be able to walk on my own again!”

— Jacqueline Monaco, Yorba Linda, California*

I Can Drive Again

“My husband had been taking the newsletter for several years. He talked me into going to your clinic because I had a stroke. I couldn’t even get out of bed when I had the stroke, and I was in rehab for a couple of weeks after my hospitalization. It was a lot of work learning to walk again.

“Your clinic got me off of the prescription drugs for thyroid, hormones, and blood pressure. Now I take natural hormone and natural thyroid therapy and those are the only medications. Everything else is vitamins and supplements.

“When I went to your clinic, I wasn’t driving yet. Now I can drive. I don’t go long distances but I can run little errands, just in the neighborhood. I have more confidence being able to do that and I’m also able to get out and work in the garden and do some light housework that I hadn’t been doing. I can do more things all the time.

“Your staff said I was headed for diabetes because my blood sugar was so high. After just a week at your clinic, from Monday to Friday, it had improved to where it was a normal reading.

“Now my health is much better. My cholesterol and insulin, all my blood work is better. And my gout improved, too. Before, I would have an episode probably every other week. Sometimes I got so bad I couldn’t get my shoes on. Now I’ve only had a couple of problems since March.

“I’ve lost 20 pounds so far and I would like to lose more. When I came home, I threw away all the bad stuff and then went shopping at the health food store. That will make a difference. It may be slow, but we will stick to it.

“I’m sorry I didn’t start at your clinic 20 years ago. Oh, it’s wonderful! I would recommend it to anyone.”

— Virginia S., Colorado*

Your Program Changed My Life

“My husband and I spent a week at your clinic after I had a stroke and have now been to your clinic four times. I have been taking Forward Plus and other specific nutraceuticals prescribed at your clinic, and I exercise regularly.

“I have been in good health for the last seven years, and have gotten off most medications. Your program has changed my life for the better. I am 80 years old, and God willing, I will continue to enjoy my senior years. Thank you all so much.”

— Jean Detels, Bainbridge Island, Washington*

Nothing Short of Miraculous

Vic left the hospital in a wheelchair with severe speech, vision, and hearing deficits after sustaining two strokes. He spent one month in a rehabilitation center, then was sent home. His wife was advised that there was no hope of improvement and it was suggested that she put him in a nursing home.

Refusing to accept this, his wife called Whitaker Wellness for help. She brought her husband to the clinic for hyperbaric oxygen therapy some six months after his initial stroke and he returned for a second course of treatment a few months later. One day when the director of our hyperbaric center arrived at work, he noticed Vic and his wife walking around the parking lot. They had come to express their gratitude and show us how miraculously far Vic had come. Although he continues to have a little trouble with his balance, Vic walks at least a mile a day and is back to his former activities. His improvements, according to both Vic and his wife, are “nothing short of miraculous.”

— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD

Walking, Talking, Writing Normally

Dorothy G. and her sister Sandra had already set a date to come to Whitaker Wellness when Dorothy had a stroke. Sandra called to cancel, but after being told by her doctor in Colorado that “most people don’t come out of this,” they decided to forge ahead.

When they arrived at the clinic, Dorothy’s balance was off, she walked with a shuffle, her speech was slurred, and she had limited use of her dominant hand. She immediately began treatment with hyperbaric oxygen, IV glutathione, and other therapies, and her progress was amazing.

Within days, she began to speak normally, and her sense of balance returned, allowing her to walk with a normal gait. Her fine motor function was restored as well, and she went from being unable to sign her name to writing. By the time they left the clinic, she was climbing stairs. You couldn’t tell which sister had had a stroke!

— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD

Unprecedented Progress

John Wycislak suffered a stroke that robbed him of his ability to walk, talk, and swallow. Confined to a wheelchair and fed through a tube, he was given little expectation of recovery.

The following summer, his wife Theresa learned about the rehabilitation benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and brought John to Whitaker Wellness. When he arrived, he couldn’t even stand without assistance. But after five hyperbaric sessions, he was able, with a little help, to take a few halting steps. Two months into treatment, his swallowing reflex returned and he began eating again.

Since his treatment course, John has made unprecedented progress. His memory has dramatically improved, and he’s talking and joking again. He has continued with physical therapy, and he’s now able to pull himself up and walk with the aid of a walker and a little assistance. Theresa, who calls Whitaker Wellness “a little patch of heaven on Earth,” reports that John is getting better and better every day.

— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD

Walked Away From Wheelchair

Billie McGee, a charming 81-year-old from Alabama, has had a rough go of it the last few years. After a severe stroke, she eventually learned to walk again, but she continued to have balance problems. Three years later, she had a heart attack, followed by a quadruple bypass, valve replacement, and a pacemaker. Then she had a series of small strokes that temporarily robbed her of her eyesight, hearing, and ability to walk. Although she recovered to some degree, her balance remained impaired and she experienced occasional dizziness. As a result, this once-active woman—who was a master gardener, an accomplished seamstress, and a talented singer—was forced to spend most of her time in a wheelchair.

One thing Billie had in her favor was perseverance and a willingness to work hard. When her doctors back home told her there was nothing more they could do for her, she decided it was time to pay the clinic a visit. Accompanied by her sister and daughter, Billie enrolled in our Back to Health Program and was treated with a number of therapies aimed at restoring activity in the affected areas of her brain, improving circulation, reducing pain in her legs, and regaining function.

She underwent a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to “wake up” damaged neurons along with physical therapy to help restore lost function. She received neurofeedback, a form of biofeedback that helps “retrain” brainwaves, and microcurrent therapy, reflexology, and therapeutic massage for pain relief. She was also prescribed a comprehensive nutritional supplement program that addressed all aspects of her condition.

I chatted with Billie and her family whenever I ran into them at my lectures or in the waiting room, and every week I could see her getting better and better. She reported that the pain in her legs was improving and sensation was returning. The unrelenting fatigue that had plagued her was beginning to lift. She was also feeling steadier on her feet and was walking more and using her wheelchair less and less.

A few days before Billie returned home, I spoke with her and asked how she was doing. She proudly announced that she could now walk to the end of our building and back unassisted. In fact, she was doing so much better that her wheelchair was in the trunk of the car. That’s how seldom she was using it!